


obliviousness

by nebulousviolet



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-18
Updated: 2015-09-18
Packaged: 2018-04-20 19:14:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,793
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4799162
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nebulousviolet/pseuds/nebulousviolet
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Annabeth Chase is a creature of habit, and phrases are no exception.</p>
            </blockquote>





	obliviousness

**Author's Note:**

> henlo fuckwads if ur reading this bc u dug thru the percabeth tag, this is very very very old and i swear i actually know how to write now so check out my non-pjo works
> 
> if ur here from aftg or hamilton and wanted to stalk me, fuck u.

"You're pretty good at this whole weapons thing,"

"Thank you, captain obvious."

It was perhaps Percy's third day at camp, and he had just witnessed Annabeth hack a straw dummy to pieces with a knife- _the_ knife. And even though she felt a little mean after saying it, that's how it was supposed to be, right? She was a daughter of Athena, and he was just....ugh, there were no words. He was simply crappy at everything, and though Annabeth wasn't a bad person at heart, it was true. Sure, he'd probably be half-way decent with a sword if they ever managed to find him a blade that was properly balanced, but aside from that, there was nothing.

Apart from canoeing. But how would that  _ever_ come in handy?

Annabeth stole a glance at the boy next to her, anxiously anticipating some kind of comeback or expression of hurt. But there was nothing. Nada. His face was a blank slate. 

"I suppose it is pretty obvious," Percy conceded after a further minute of awkward silence, "I mean, Mr B-um, Chiron and Grover did say that you've been here for a while."  _Understatement._  But Annabeth was glad for an opportunity for an apology, since gods knew that she was too prideful to make the first move.

On apologising. Nothing else.

"No, I suppose that was pretty mean of me," she feigned a shrug. "I mean, you've only been here for a few days, so I suppose everyone seems good at everything. And trust me, they aren't." Percy shook his head, frustrated. Annabeth knew that feeling all too well, but it was usually when she was trying to explain mixed fractions to someone two years older than her.

"It's not that," he said, finally breaking the silence, "I can really tell you're good at it."

This time, Annabeth smiled.

* * *

 

"This-this is bad."

"Thank you, captain obvious."

They were in Las Vegas, and they were watching in horror as a lion bounded down the street. Despite his worried muttering, Percy looked half amused.

Annabeth wanted to slap him, but not as much as yesterday. So that was progress, she supposed.

"Where are we going to go?" she fretted, mostly to herself. Grover was looking around and simultanaeously cursing the owners of Kindness Animal Transportation, and Annabeth knew from experience that he would be more or less dead to the world.

'We'll be fine, you know," he said conversationally, "As long as we don't die, I'm pretty sure we're on the right track."

Annebeth shook her head, "There are some things worse than death," she pointed out, tightening her ponytail. Percy smirked, that irritating smirk that made him look like his dad. Actually, he looked like his dad all the time, but that little smirk made it even more uncanny.

"Yay. I forgot how tragic the myths were-are. It makes you feel all happy inside, right?"

"Maybe it's a punishment for all your sarcasm," Annabeth muttered, but she was already smiling.

* * *

 

"That looks nasty."

"Thank you, c-captain obvious."

Annabeth had never known a single broken bone to hurt so much.

Even with the Fleece over her, it still jabbed her whenever she tried to do so much as scratch her arm. But then again, she'd been lucky. Percy had thought she'd been dead.

_But he was worried and that must count for something....right?_

Clarisse stood over her, and gingerly pushed her fingers against Annabeth's rib. She bit down on her lip so hard, she felt the taste of blood explode in her mouth and dribble down her chin.

"Sorry," the daughter of Ares grunted, and she wrapped the Fleece around Annabeth's midriff even tighter. Annabeth could feel the pain gradually start to lesson-or at least theratios, rational part of her could, anyway. The majority of her brain was screaming OH MY GODS HOLY FREAKING ZEUS AHHHHH.

She wasn't really feeling like a daughter of Athena at the moment, to be honest.

She was scared. She had a crush on her best friend. Styx, she was turning into an Aphrodite child. Now that was a scary thought. 

Percy suddenly appeared back into her line of view.

"It would suck if you die," he whispered.

So despite herself, she smiled.

* * *

 

"Everything's changed, hasn't it?" 

"Thank you, captain obvious."

They were stood outside the Big House, waiting for Thalia to emerge.

Gods, she'd wanted to think those words for so many years, and now she was actually thinking them....she was sort of underwhelmed.

Her wistful eight year old self had imagined trumpets and fanfares and parades. Not hurried doses of nectar and ambrosia and hushed silence.

Then there was Luke. The metaphorical elephant in the room. He would've organised the whole Hermes cabin and made them have a festival-or-or something. Not this horrible, hushed silence.

But Percy wasn't Luke. He just leaned against the porch, silent, letting her think. She appreciated that more than he'd ever know. The topic of Thalia was too sacred to drown out with rushed banter or cheap jokes. Maybe he knew that too, or maybe he was just feeling kind of awkward.

Annabeth wanted to believe that it was the latter, but that dark part inside of her knew that Percy wasn't an idiot; it was much more likely to be the former.

Stupid son of Poseidon, with his stupid pretty eyes and stupid deceiving smile.

"Tell me about her," his voice was crackly, and he cleared his throat. "Thalia, I mean. I know she was a lot like me-you told me-but what else?" 

Annabeth thought for a moment. It was hard to sum up Thalia Grace, and it was even harder to do it for Percy. 

"She could be kind of bitter sometimes. She'd look at this mortal family, and go, 'oh, I bet they never struggled for food' or whatever. But Thalia....she lost her innocence too young, you know? Her and Luke, they'd make sure I'd never see anything too graphic," she snorted, "They tried to protect me. Thalia, she was the one who came up with witty comebacks and everything. She was just...Thalia." 

Percy grinned.

"So you do admit my comebacks are witty?"

"Shut up!" But her smile said it all.

* * *

 

"Nothing about this seems right."

"Thank you, captain obvious."

Their voices were hushed, but there was no need; Thalia was too enthralled in the story of the time Percy freaked out at an aquarium when he was five. 

"He seriously started screaming?" she asked, rubbing her hands together. Percy restrained a groan, and Annabeth rolled her eyes.

"Wise Girl, Thalia's gathering SO much blackmail right now, I'm afraid she might explode the car from excitement. Anyway, as I was saying..." Annabeth ran a hand through her hair impatiently.

"Yes, I agree that it's kinda suspicious that Grover finds two powerful half-bloods so quickly, but why over-estimate a bad situation?"

Percy shook his head at her.

"Isn't that what you taught me?" Annabeth sighed; she knew that she wasn't getting anywhere with this conversation. At least Thalia wasn't listening in-gods help her if she decided to join in with  _this_ oh-so-cheery conversation. 

"Look, Seaweed Brain, it could be a coincidence-like, ah, say, Grover finding three half-bloods and not just one when he went looking for Thals, right? That's all it could be." Percy still looked unhappy.

"Yes, but they share the same last name. And if that isn't a coincidence, I don't know what is. My point is, I don't want you-or Thalia-being chucked off the edge of a cliff or something." Annabeth shook her head.

"Glad to know you have so much faith in me, Percy." Percy winked.

"Seriously, that would suck. For me, not just you."

Annabeth didn't hear him. She was too busy being mad at him for making her smile.

* * *

 

"This is...majorly weird."

"Thank you, captain obvious."

They'd long since finished dancing to the device played on the magical radio on Olympus. In fact, they were the only ones not dancing, with the exception of Artemis and Apollo.

Which, of course, meant they were the subject of much scrutiny. Especially Apollo, since he was the party boy of Olympus.

It was kind of creepy, actually.

"Maybe he's just come down from a sugar high," Annabeth suggested. Percy snorted, and held up his hands at Annabeth's dangerously clouded expression.

"Look, he was fine up until he asked Artemis a question. Maybe his kids' team lost capture the flag or something."

Annabeth stared at Percy disbelievingly. He shrugged defensively.

"What? It's a good suggestion!" 

"You're an idiot," she muttered under her breath, and reached out for a muffin. Percy tapped her shoulder again.

"Annabeth. Annabeth."

"What? If you dare-" Percy pointed to Apollo-who was staring at a constellation in the sky. Or, more specifically, Zoë's constellation-the Huntress.

"Oooh. Wait, wouldn't he have known?" Percy raised an eyebrow.

"Annabeth, he was listening to his iPod the whole meeting. Basically, he raised his hand when nearly everyone else did, clapped politely and listened to Maroon 5 at the same time. Even I can do that." She exhaleddeeply, and squinted at the god near the window.

"So you're saying that he was in love with Zoë?" Percy nodded.

"Yup."

"That is one of the most ridiculous theories ever-" she was cut off by Aphrodite's peals of silvery laughter, and when nobody was looking, she smiled too.

* * *

"It's never going to be the same."

"Thank you, captain obvious."

They'd finished fighting in the Battle of the Labyrinth, and they both knew that what Luke had done was unforgivable. True, what he'd done in the past had been pretty bad, but secretly Annabeth had hoped that it was all the work of Kronos, that all of it was a big mistake.

She was wrong. Now he was under the possession of Kronos.

"I need to sleep," she lied, and she ran to her cabin.

Battle plans can't hurt you, she reasoned. And she sobbed herself to sleep.

* * *

 

"They're staring at us."

"I know."

"It's creepy."

"Thank you, captain obvious."

It was strange. One kiss-two actually-and everyone was staring at them. Far in the distance, Annabeth swore she heard the Aphrodite kids squealing.

Ugh.

Thalia, however, had a grin a mile wide, and reached up and slapped Percy's back.

"Dude," the Hunter said, "What _took_ you so long?"

It was as if Thalia had set off a grenade. Camp exploded into cheers, Demeter children hurried to make roses and flowers bloom at their feet, and Travis and Connor sprayed whipped cream everywhere. Annabeth doubted that that had anything to do with the cheering, though. The Stoll brothers were like that.

"Um...I'm gonna go..." Percy look almost sick.

_I'm never going to make things easy for you, Seaweed Brain._

She smiled.


End file.
